HOPE – That tuba sitting in the garage that hasn’t seen the light of day since… well, high school; and, that keyboard your child simply had to have, but hasn’t touched since Christmas, 2015, have a Hope Public Schools Bands Program student waiting to make music with them.
“The program is growing, and we can’t keep up,” HPS Bands Director Julie Gladden said. “We have a decent budget, but we have to pay for more than instruments.”
So, the bands program has begun an instrument donation initiative, Gladden said.
“We need everything,” she said. “We will have 360 students across all grades next year.”
The bands program has already received two clarinets from Texarkana given at a donation booth event at the Main Street Annex entrance to Hope High School on June 10. A second donation date is set for July 15, from 10 a.m. to noon and 1-3 p.m., Gladden said.
“We are 50 to 60 instruments short,” she said. “Our program has experienced amazing growth over the past two years. We started with 50 students in the program, and next year we are bursting at the seams.”
Gladden has also established a donations website called “Flutes for a Growing Band Program” at DonorsChoose.org online.
Any donations, whether of instruments or monetary help, are considered tax deductible, she said.
“Our goal is that every student who wishes to do band can do so, without having to worry about the financial burden of doing so,” Gladden said. “Music makes an incredible impact on students’ lives. Funding our project will give students seven years of instrumental music education.”
Instruments of any kind, including but not limited to flutes, clarinets, saxophones, trumpets, French horns, trombones, euphoniums, tubas, electric and acoustic guitars, electric bass guitars for jazz band, electric amplifiers, electric keyboards; and, one trap set of drums for jazz band will be accepted.
Instruments should be in usable condition, and instruments in need of cleaning or light repair will be accepted, Gladden said. Donations will be accepted throughout the summer, she said.
“If they call ahead, they can bring a donation at any time,” she said.
Gladden may be contacted at 870-898-0785 directly or by text message.